I bought an 06 F-250 with a 5.4 and am very unimpressed with the ability to pull a trailer. This truck has the 6 speed and am unsure of the rear ratio. I have an old 94 with a 351 in it that will run circles around this one. By the way the 06 truck has 20K on it and I have only put about 200 miles on it because the 94 seems to be alot stronger. Was there any recalls for problems or inherent flaws in this particular application? Thanks.

 

You definitely picked the wrong powertrain for a Superduty to tow with. V10 would have been a much better choice.

 

i would't expect that much difference between the 5.4L and the 351--although the configuration/weight of the vehicle might be a factor, ie is your 06 same cab, etc.? what's the curb weight of each pickup?

the 5.4 is a strong engine, imo--but there will be practical limits to what it can do, especially as the base engine in the superduty...i'm not sure how much you are towing, but your 6-spd certainly is an advantage, and there are some things you can do to squeeze some more performance out of the engine if you're close to doing what you want to do with it

 

Unless your 351 was a crewcab4wd and the new one is a regular cab2wd the '99+ weigh a good 1-2K more lbs than the Pre's do, My '05 weighs right around 8K, Same cab and drivetrain type in my '93 weighs right around 7K. The weight of the trailer would help to know if there really is a problem or not. Anything over about 5K and the 5.4L is going to get pretty sluggish.

 

i have the same truck but automatic and 3.73 rear end...now some may say its sluggish, but i dont tow at all so its fine for me...now if i towed i would be pissed...my next truck will be the v10..if still available...find out what gears you have...if i remember correctly 06 f250's came standard with 3.73...if you re gear to 4.30 or 4.56 i think you will be happy...there is a guy on here running a 06 f250 5.4 with 4.56, intake, exhaust and chip...hopefully he sees this and he will be able to chime in...i just think running 4.56 gears will definatley change your outlook on your truck...how much are you towing????

 

Thanks for the input. I am used to towing a stock trailer with the old 351 truck and am aware of the limitations. I think that the 5.4 is supposed to have 50 more horses under the hood but this truck just seems dead. I will look into chipping the dog, but still think that it is underpowered. Thanks again.

 

I think you are feeling the extra weight of the truck itself vs the power of the engine. Gearing will help the most. 4.30's.

 

I drive a 04 E250 van with the 5.4. Its underpowered IMO. Its ok with just a load in the van but put a 16 ft trailor load of cabinets behind it &it needs more power. If it wasn't a company truck I'd use a Superchip tuner on it.

 

You have to drive that thing like you stole it. Mine won't start pulling good til I get it up to about 4 to 4500 rpms.

 

i agree with campin nut..dont be afraid to rev that sucker high bro, these tritons are made to put out youve just gotta find the mellow spot...put your foot into it..im pullin a 14' enclosed with 3 quads..probably 5-6k loaded up...and ive gotta 2v..headers, intake, chip, exhaust, and a gear change...4.56 or 4.88 in a 5.4 would be sickening in my mind... will wake her up real good!

 

Something is wrong if your old 351 was stronger.

My dad's '01 SD with a 5.4L, AT and 3.73 gears tows pretty good. Hauls a 6,000+ lb travel trailer, and over 1,000lbs of payload up a 7% grade at 55mph no problem.

If you wanna hotrod the 5.4L isn't it. But it is no slow poke.

 

I pull a 21' camper with my 2001 e-350. No problems at all, plenty of power.

 

I have an 06 F150 Screw 5.4, 3:73 and tow a 6000lb boat, hardly even realize it's behind me. I know my F150 is lighter than your SD but I have no complaints with the 5.4 maybe you should look into a reflash, I did have an 05 FX4 out on a test drive before I bought my 06 and the 05 was a total dog.

 

I wonder if a reflash might help my van. My 97 F150 has more power than it. I'll ask my buddy that works at a local dealer to see if a reflash is offered.

 

Something is wrong. I pull the load limit with my truck (see signature) without any major hassles. I can get up to and over the speed limit before running out of entrance ramp on most freeways and have no problem staying at the legal limit while towing.

If your engine is OK, then you should probably look at a gear change. 4.10s or even 4.30s would give you better acceleration without impacting fuel consumption too much.